Review of Yogalates Total Body Toner

Introduction

Tis the season for a slew of exercise DVDs, and with the minefield that it represents, how do you go about picking one? Not all DVDs are the same but all make the same claims: lose weight, become trimmer, healthier, stronger and re-energised. If you start now you can still get away with wearing the extra large Christmas jumper Gran knitted you and get yourself in shape for next summer.

Yogalates Total Body Toner is the followup to Yogalates and is again presented by Louise Solomon. Louise developed the yogalates method and has been teaching it for 12 years now. Here she teaches a small class onscreen with just a few students practising the exercises. There`s nothing strenuous here, it`s all gentle and smooth, but don`t let this fool you! It`s still hard work for the uninitiated.

These are the exercises:
Workout 1: abdominals, waist, pelvic floor
Workout 2: arms, chest, upper back, spine
Workout 3: butt, lower back, legs
Workout 4: total body workout

You should have a mat (or blanket), cushion (or pillow), belts and towels to hand.

"This yogalates method delivers a toned pilates body and a chilled yoga mind." With this in mind, let`s get going...

Video

The 1.33:1 fullframe transfer is perfect. Vivid colour, contrast and detail with no signs whatsoever of a digital artefact cropping up. It is only fullframe though which is a shame, but then for this kind of special interest video you don`t need the best in digital filmmaking.

Audio

I can`t believe I`ve given the audio a whopping ten, but then there`s no problem with the sound at all. It`s a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack and is well balanced. The music and the dialogue is well matched and believe it or not, it all sounds very soothing. Louise Solomon has a peaceful voice that makes me feel a little sleepy and content.

Features

Simple to navigate menus with just one extra:

• The Energy Booster (10:00) - This is an exercise for people who stand on their feet all day or for those recovering from jet lag.

Since the DVD is the program itself, there really isn`t any need for extras, but this one is useful.

Conclusion

Is this yet another workout video with a fancy name trying to sell us the idea of the body beautiful? After going through it for a few weeks, I don`t think so.

The workout programmes here target different areas of the body so you`re going to put your entire body through its paces. Those of you looking for a flatter stomach and other toned areas, you`ll find what you need here. You can do just one programme, or do all of them, and as with all exercises, a healthy balanced diet is a must if you want to see a physical and mental improvement.

After a few weeks of using this DVD, I do feel a better sense of well being. I felt a lot of the stretching in the first week and feel taller, though I can`t testify to weight loss because I`ve not had any problems in that area. I think Yogalates is good to use if you`re serious about improving your health and general well being since the exercises here are not hard to follow, and you`ll find a good steady progression with the other exercises. Then there`s the ultimate body toning programme at the end of the DVD which is recommended only after doing the others for a few months. There`s some longevity in this DVD, that`s for sure.

This is quite a good DVD and is well produced. It took a little time to learn the routines, but then you do learn through repetition enabling you to fully concentrate on keeping good form whilst inhaling and exhaling. Louise Solomon, the teacher here, is a total babe making this totally watchable. I`ve seen a fair few yoga teachers in my time and they`re all in their 40s and 50s, however they look incredibly healthy and well. Louise is no exception. She sounds comforting and certainly had my attention, though to begin with probably for the wrong reasons.

Just in time for the Christmas season, this DVD would be helpful for those that make a resolution to get into shape, again.